To some it’s the devil incarnate, a source of incalculable damage to people’s mental health and a toxic font of untruths. To others it’s an incredibly useful communication channel that marries powerful insights with huge reach.

For me, it’s a bit of both: when I think of my kids, it’s most definitely the anxiety inducing former but when I read some of the posts by industry leaders on LinkedIn or discover a helpful how-to video on YouTube it’s more often the latter.

Sadly though, as a confirmed Gen X, when it comes to the newer channels, then other than the occasional browse, their appeal is largely lost on me.

That said, so is Facebook’s – and I’m squarely in its demographic apparently.

And I guess that’s kind of the point, we’re all a little different in terms of how we prefer to find information and build connections.

While clients and prospects today might largely be Gen Xers or Millennials, tomorrow they’ll be Gen Zers or Alphas – and as a result the emerging social media platforms value as marketing channels will only grow.

So perhaps as our Briefing eloquently points out: now’s the time to get ahead of the curve and embrace them.

Or not. Perhaps as Ogilvy UK vice chairman Rory Sutherland recently posted on LinkedIn; a channel’s effectiveness can just as easily be driven by its “perceived scarcity” and dare we say its cost.

And while social media audiences are huge and free to access, going old-school and targeting qualified prospects using a more traditional channel frequently offers better results.

After all, meeting someone in person and having an actual conversation, and perhaps discovering some common ground or shared interest, is far more powerful than any post when it comes to building a lasting connection.